If you are reading this, then you are one of the few people who actually do!

Over the last several months, I have let this website fall by the wayside. That is a shame and a travesty! I should be flogged through the streets! I am paying good money to own this domain and this hosting space…well…no…it’s actually unbelievably cheap to own a website. The fact that some people still don’t have their own website still baffles me.

Anyway, I have let this slip because of other priorities that have taken precedence over keeping this site updated. Things like:

Releasing regular content on my YouTube Channel

Focusing on social media platforms that can extend my brand

Working on projects for clients that are actually paying me

Oh…wow…the list is actually pretty short…but I’m sure you can see how much more important those matters are compared to posting the occasional article on this site.

Anyway, I am here to say that in 2017 this will no longer be the case. I am working on rethinking the JeremyJasonA brand for 2017. I’m not saying it will be ready by January 1st, but it is currently in the process of being re-thunk.

In the past year, I was awarded the pleasure of becoming a Huffington Post Contributor. That being said, all the articles that you are not seeing here are currently being posted over on my Huffington Post page. Sorry jeremyjasona.com, but Huffington Post has a MUCH higher page authority on Google than you ever could. I have to go where the money leads…

All that being said, in the new year I will be rebranding this site for the sake of my personal consulting brand. When people come to this site, they will be immediately met by information about my services as a social media and content creation consultant. The blog will still be regularly updated with articles, but they will be primarily focused on giving my clients the relevant info and updates they need to keep their brands up-to-date and professional.

I am excited about the possibilities of this new direction for the JeremyJasonA website! I hope any of you who are reading this right now can stand behind me in this new direction and understand the kind of path I am taking to build my brand and help more & more people realize the potential of social media.

If you haven’t seen the horrifying little creation known as Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared, then you have been living under a rock! This seemingly simple and highly produced kid’s show from hell has long held some deep underlying messages. Let’s take a look at all the lessons we have learned from Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared!

Three Most Dangerous Traits

If you were paying attention throughout the 6 episodes, you will notice that the three main characters are quite different. In fact, they are meant to represent the three personality traits that the establishment and media most seek to control.

As the series goes on, Apathy and Intellect are able to escape the machine, while Innocence never does. This represents the fact that some people never escape the expectations and manipulations of media.

Mainstream Media Keeps Creativity in a Box

With the final line of episode one, we learn exactly what the entire video was about.

“Now, let’s all agree to never be creative again.”

Creativity left unchecked is dangerous to the establishment. Mainstream media has worked hard to keep us watching what they have deemed creative, so they can’t have people out there breaking that paradigm. In the episode, the Sketchbook tries to convince our characters that being creative is weird and scary and might result in death!

Time Is a Construct of Restraint

This one isn’t QUITE as diabolical as episode one, but it still teaches a valuable lesson. We are all tethered to this abstract concept of time. When Green Guy tries to point this out and explain that time is just a concept of human perception, the Clock swiftly silences him. We can’t be free of the construct of time or we might not tune into our favorite tv shows and watch all the commercials! Thinking of time as abstract will bring on all kinds of dangerous thinking that breaks the status quo that allows us to put things like history and future in a box!

Certain Organizations Put Restrictions on Love

Yellow Guy is sad about something his friend has done. Being the personification of innocence, he is approached by a seemingly well-intentioned individual who promises to show him love. What we end up seeing is that this individual is part of a group that has a long list of rules about how you can love, who you can love, and what love is. Finally, innocence sees that love is simple when he is reunited with his friends and is told that they love him. They didn’t need the constructs and rules to be loving. They just loved.

Big Business Wants to Control You Through Your Computer

Even though the episode starts out with an innocent desire to learn more through technology (which is always the happy story that is spun about the advantages of the digital age) things quickly take a turn. The Computery-Guy starts trying to learn as much as HE can about our main characters so that he can sell them stuff.

He also sucks them in as soon as one of them touches him. They are drawn into a digital world that they can’t escape, one that is obviously less exciting than real life, but they are convinced that it’s a fun world they should never leave. Luckily, Red Guy escapes and ends up seeing “behind the curtain” of the machine that’s been controlling them. His head explodes, symbolizing that he is no longer a prisoner and his mind is free.

Media Wants to Control Us Through Our Diets

It looks like Yellow and Green are now on an innocent little cooking show, but something is a tad bit off. Green Guy recognizes this and questions what he is being told, much to the frustration of our villains. They are trying to convince Yellow and Green of what is healthy to eat, but they keep contradicting themselves and overcomplicate everything. In the end, Green can’t take it anymore and escapes. Yellow is convinced by the villains that he should just eat exactly what he’s told and ends up eating Green out of a can. This is to symbolize that those who can’t think for themselves will fall for anything just to make life simpler.

Innocence is Hard Lost

At the beginning of the last episode, we see that Yellow (or Innocence) is the only character that has not escaped. This is because, in our innocence, we all want to believe and trust. We want to keep the feeling that there are smarter and more capable people behind the controls of this world. We see that Yellow is starting to mature by trying to ignore the song, but despite his desire to escape, his lack of understanding keeps him stuck.

Growing Up Doesn’t HAVE to be Boring

We see what has happened to Red Guy. He has grown up and gotten a job. He is surrounded by a bunch of people just like him, who are stuck in the same boring job. Red Guy doesn’t accept this. He tries to find something imaginative in his boring life, but is quickly dismissed by his co-workers. We see him start to develop a more complex personality than what he is expected to be (apathy) by experimenting with fun and creativity.

People Will Tear Down Your Creativity

When Red Guy goes all out, tearing off his boring suit and jumping on stage to share his creativity, he is boo-ed and told that what he is doing isn’t very good. To be fair, it isn’t very good. All he is doing is digging into a more innocent time and portraying what he learned creativity was supposed to be. However, he is at least making an attempt and is quickly put down by the boring people around him. This may seem familiar to the many people out there who have poured their heart and soul into a YouTube project and saw words in the comments like “so-and-so did something like this and it was SO much better” or “why did you make this” or “stop making videos now!”

Some People Are Beyond Saving

When Red Guy finds the Machine, he attempts to help his friend (Yellow Guy) break free, but nothing works. He throws out every message and reminder possible of the horror they experienced, but Yellow Guy just sits in confusion. He doesn’t have that moment of realization like Red and Green did. Although he recognizes something is wrong and odd, he doesn’t have the strength of will or mind to break down the facade and think for himself. We will always deal with people who seem to know something is wrong with this world, but still fall for everything fed to them.

This Entire Process is Cyclical

When Red Guy pulls the plug and resets the machine, we see that everything has started over but everything is also a bit different. The date changes from June 19th (which was consistently the date through all the episodes) to June 20th, symbolizing progress to the next generation. We see three similar characters sitting at the table, but everything is colored differently. Then the series ends with the Sketchbook opening up to push his creativity lesson down the throats of his next victims.

Every generation has the opportunity to think for themselves or remain imprisoned by the boundaries of mainstream media. Some will mature and escape, but some will always be prisoners who are told exactly what to think.

We live in a world that screams at you 24/7 through Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Snapchat, Tumbler, Linkedin, and the list could go on. How do we keep on task when there is so much content to consume! This challenge becomes even harder for those of us who have chosen to make content creation and social media a career.

“I need to stay relevant!”

“Scrolling for hours on Facebook is just part of my job!”

“I need to know what kind of content is popular on YouTube, so I can properly serve my clients!”

Despite these EXCELLENT excuses, we all need to get to work and stop being distracted. Here are 5 Tips to help you work in spite of all the distractions!

1. Plan Ahead

Have you ever started a day without a plan for what you wanted to accomplish? Was it much easier to slip into distractions that pulled you out of something more productive? That is always my experience.

If I wake up with a clear picture of what I want to get done by the end of the day, I generally accomplish it or at least come close.

When I “wing it” and go forward with no plan, it only takes about an hour before I find myself scrolling and browsing. And I’m not even ADD! I can’t imagine how hard it is for the many people in my field that are!

Every night before you go to sleep, develop a REALISTIC plan for what you want to accomplish the next day. I emphasize “realistic” because unrealistic expectations can often discourage you and cause you to abandon them. You should challenge yourself, but also recognize what you can get done in the time you have.

Another excellent practice to add on top of your daily plan is to make a weekly plan. At the end of a week, look back on what you have accomplished during that week and then roughly plan out the next. This makes those daily plans much easier to develop.

2. Prioritize

Once you have a plan for the day, it’s time to determine when to do each of these tasks during the day.

Studies have shown (and I have found from experience) that placing your more challenging or creative tasks toward the beginning of your day is the best practice. That’s when you have the most energy to expend and it’s when your brain is the most rested and ready to take on challenging problems.

If you start your day with the easy, tedious, mind numbing busy work, you are more prone to getting distracted after you finish it. You feel like you need a break before getting into the tough stuff. Then suddenly hours have gone by and you’re still watching YouTube videos or catching up on your latest Netflix binge.

3. Evaluate Your Workspace

Like I said before, I am not ADD, but I still need to be purposeful about eliminating distractions if I want to be productive.

When I am getting into production or work mode, I close every social media tab in my browser. I silence my phone. I will close my email client. Sometimes I will leave my office all together and sit on my porch with my laptop.

I will also organize my station. I put EVERYTHING I know I will need that day right in front of me. My computer station has three screens, so the most important stuff goes on my main middle screen, less important goes on my right, and least important goes on my left.

Not only that, but I organize my physical desktop, too. I remove as much as I can besides the elements I need. Is there a product I am reviewing today? Will I need the journal I use to take content notes? Will I need the journal I use to take client notes?

Coupling this with the “daily planning” practice is almost essential so you know exactly what you need. This allows me to stay on task because I simply don’t open ANYTHING else other than what I put in front of me that morning.

4. Clean Up

This is kind of a deeper version of the last practice. Keep your workstation clean (physically and digitally). After you are finished with a project for the day, get it away from you so you can focus on what’s next.

I know they say “a messy desk is a sign of genius” and that may be true, but no one ever said it was a requirement. Too many people use that quote as an excuse and it ends up biting them.

There are ENDLESS studies to show that keeping a clean and organized work area increases efficiency and motivation. It gives people a clearer head going into their next task, and it just makes you feel more put together and productive.

5. Start Early

I am not talking about any specific time during the day. I know everyone works better at different times. What I am talking about is starting early in YOUR work day.

Don’t wake up, spend an hour watching videos, take 30 minutes to catch up on Facebook, and then a few more to browse through Snapchat.

GET MOVING!

Wake up. Go over your daily plan while having your morning coffee. Get a shower. Get dressed. AND GET TO WORK!

The more you put off jumping into your work, the more energy and brain power you expend on unproductive tasks. No need to discipline yourself in putting that well rested brain to work as quickly as possible. I know some people complain that they need sufficient time to “wake up” before diving into their work, but often that is an excuse to be lazy. Force yourself to start moving and you will move!

Being Productive is AWESOME

These are just a few of the practices I have found to keep myself productive in spite of the many distractions around me everyday. Hopefully they will help you out. I would also LOVE to know about some of the practices you have found to keep yourself productive! Comment below or hit me up on social media so we can continue this valuable conversation!

Bonus Tip: Don’t Wallow

If you find yourself in the midst of an unproductive day, don’t wallow in it! Don’t give up on that day!

Start walking through the steps above and find SOMETHING to do that’s productive. Better late than never, right?

Even if you only have time to accomplish one small task, that is one more accomplishment that you wouldn’t have achieved if you had given up on the day.

If you are a small business owner or run a fortune 500 company, your profitability is heavily tied to your efficiency. The more you can get done in the least amount of time leads to more profit.

It’s important to take stock of your work environment on a regular basis to make sure you are taking full advantage of the time you have. I have four questions that you can ask yourself to make sure you are doing all you can to optimize your work environment.

1. Where do I work best?

This is something that could constantly be in flux. Sometimes I can sit in my office and be 100% focused on what I need to accomplish. Some days I find myself needing to get away. I take my laptop or journal to my porch to get my best work done.

Keep on your toes and stay as self-aware as possible. If you need certain surroundings to meet different challenges, find the places that help you work at your highest level.

2. When do I get my best work done?

Time is an aspect in your efficiency. This probably isn’t a ground-breaking secret.

There is a terrible lie that tells people that the “early bird gets the worm” so you need to be up at 5am every morning to be successful.

Everyone is different. Some people work best starting at 5am and others at 5pm. You need to schedule your day around when you work best, but be careful. Some people use the excuse that they work best at night to be lazy all day.

3. How do I prioritize tasks?

This works hand-in-hand with the schedule mentioned above. You need to prioritize within the time you do your best work.

Studies have shown that the best practice is to put your more challenging work ahead of the busy work. As soon as you start your “work day” you should be focused on what will take the most focus. This allows you to expend the most energy up front and do all the mind-numbing, tedious stuff later.

The alternative is wasting all your energy on the frustratingly tedious work up front and having limited focus for the major tasks later on. I think you can tell for yourself what the better course of action is.

4. Does technology focus or distract me?

This is entirely personal and takes a heavy does of self-awareness. Be honest with yourself. Do you need to unplug to get your work done? Or do you focus best when you are connected?

Unfortunately, I need to disconnect as much as possible to get my best work done. At most, I like to turn on a show or movie I have seen a dozen times for some white noise. By cutting myself off from social media and such, I am alone with my thoughts. I am able to collect them and organize them without new information pouring in.

Though I can’t understand the position, you might work in an entirely opposite fashion. You may need to stay connect to be focused on your work and that’s okay. Don’t beat yourself up for it! I know way too many people who fight their tendencies rather than embrace them and work through them.

On top of all this…

You need to manage your time and keep a consistent schedule. Being sporadic is not one of those “tendencies” to be embraced. It is generally a sign of immaturity in whatever business you are involved in. Answer the questions above, find out what works best for you, and stick to it like glue.